Blood and Salt
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: Captured and helpless, Connor and Abby face their most dangerous predator yet. Moderate spoilers for Series 4.
1. Chapter 1

Blood and Salt  
2010 Evenstar Estel

Chapter 1

Connor awoke slowly, his head feeling cottony and hazy. There was pain. Definitely pain. The side of his face felt cold and sticky and he smelled metal. He tried to lift his head up, but it felt like it weighed ten thousand tons. He tried to move any other part of himself and that's when he realized he was bound. His hands had metal shackles around them and he was chained to a pillar. The short chain was fused to a metal loop in the concrete and was secured to what inhibited his wrists. He opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, but he could discern his surroundings. He was in a warehouse and there were lights above him. The way the building seemed to stretch on forever absently made him think he was in the mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings. It was a fleeting thought, because he realized the cool stickiness on his face was his own blood. He groaned and started to force himself up.

"Connor! Connor!" He heard a voice shout, knowing instantly that it was Abby's. After he was upright he turned his head in her direction. She was about fifty feet straight across from him, her back against her own pillar. He couldn't quite speak yet, but his eyes were beginning to focus. She looked no better than he. The side of her face was purple and she had a split, swollen lip. She was like him and shackled to the concrete. "Oh thank god. I thought you were dead!"

"Abby... what..." he groaned.

"I don't know Conn. I heard you scream and I came running to find you, but something hit my head. I woke up here and I saw you... the blood... I thought you were dead."

"S'gonna take more than a knock to the head to do me in, babe, you know that." Connor's mind slowly began to clear. They'd been on an anomaly call and he'd been tracking a creature. He remembered a burning sensation and he'd screamed. He'd flailed and then something bludgeoned his head and it all went black. "It was taser, I think. My side is killin' me. That's what made me scream, then I got a knock on the head too. That's funny you're not supposed to be able to scream when getting electrocuted."

"You're stronger than most people think."

"Good thing. Are you okay, love?"

"As good as I can be. I've been awake for hours. I can't tell how long. Maybe four? No one's been in. I've just been watching you, trying to see if you were breathing, but I couldn't tell." Her voice vibrated like she was going to cry.

"S'all right. I'm still here. Nothing in the world could make me leave you. I love you too much."

"I love you too."

He nodded and smiled at her. "Let's have a think. Who'd want us? Someone who knows about anomalies, but maybe doesn't know all that we know? Someone who wants to get to the ARC? Security's so tight now."

"Maybe it's Helen? We never did find out what happened to her. Or Danny. Helen would do to this to us."

"Yeah, she would. She's organized enough and nasty enough to use these tactics. Helen's usually more quick to the chase though. She wouldn't keep us waiting. She always had purpose, however insane it might've been. I don't see a purpose here yet. We've been here at least four hours, right?"

"Yes."

"No one's been in, you haven't heard anything?"

"No, it's been deadly silent. I heard water dripping, but nothing like footsteps. Now that you're awake it's better."

"Sorry, love. I blame myself. I've gotten too complacent since we've come back. Dinosaurs, animals I'm used to. I can feel 'em, but people..."

"It's not your fault. I got caught too. I was too worried about you to take in my surroundings."

"We're supposed to be better than this." Connor grit his teeth. How could he have been so senseless?

"Not when it comes to each other." They locked eyes and there was no need for words. They knew they were each other's Achilles heel. They abandoned reason at the drop of the hat if the other was in danger. They were an inseparable pair. In the Cretaceous, that dependability and trust had been an asset. Now that they were back home, they depended on each other more than ever. Getting back to normal had been hard, but little by little they'd found places for themselves within the ARC's new regime. Connor was working closely with Dr. Philip Burton on the scientific aspects of the anomalies while Abby worked with the animals and was an active member of the field team. It wasn't perfect and things could be stressful, but they coped. They had each other and in the end, that was all that mattered. Although at the moment they were both wishing the other was safe and sound somewhere else.

"That means that we were being watched. It wasn't random. No one can get to anomaly calls before us unless they know our operation. It can't have been opportunity. It was a trap."

"Helen again."

"You could be right. Who knows whom else she enlisted. We never knew where she was half the time, what allies she could have made."

"Not to mention her little clone army."

Connor nodded and sighed. "I know you'll have tested your restraints, any weaknesses?"

She held them up for him to see, rattling the chain the cuffs were attached to. They were just like his own. They were impossibly heavy and sturdy. The tarnished metal was thick and immovable, forcing their wrists rigged with little to no room for movement. Modern handcuffs allowed a person the use of their hands to a certain extent, these did not. "They're old and German. _Deusche, August Schwartz_ imprinted in the metal along with _Berlin_ as their place of origin. There's numbers too, but they're probably just a serial number. I think they're antique."

"That's weird. And scary."

"If I had a hair pin I could probably pick them. Old locks were smart, but not as good as some of the ones I got through when I was kid. Trouble is, even if I had a pin, I couldn't get my wrists to twist that far over the cuffs to reach the lock. My fingers aren't long enough to do it either."

"Germans. Too damn brilliant at engineering for their own good." Connor smiled and despite their predicament, Abby did too. He saw the look of intense fear in her eyes and he felt it also. Whatever they were in store for it wasn't going to be pleasant. He didn't know how he was going to get them out of this.

"I can't pull my hands out, it's too tight. I can't even force it. I'd have to break my hands."

"S'alright, Abbs."

"But if I could just..."

"Don't be scared. You're strong." Abby felt her heart clench at his words. He was always like this, trying to get her to see hope in the darkest of situations. He'd been the one to keep the faith that they'd return home from the Cretaceous Era. She told herself she was just being realistic, trying convince him that they had to wake up and accept that England, Sid, Rex and Nancy, their flat, Doctor Who and chocolate were just memories. Their lives were going to continue to be a day to day struggle to just survive and that they'd die and become fossils just like all the dinosaurs. Connor had kept quiet while she'd poured her heart out. When she was done he said nothing. The weeks passed and then they found the way home. After the chaos of that afternoon had died down and they found themselves in Jess' spare room for the night, he'd kissed her and whispered in her ear _"It's okay when you run out of hope, Abby. I've got enough for both of us."_ The next hour had included the quietest lovemaking possible. It obviously wasn't quiet enough as Jess still blushed when she saw them the next day at breakfast.

They took stock of their surroundings in the warehouse. They talked for the next hour, imagining all sorts of scenarios that might occur and how they were going to prepare for them. They were long past the point of telling each other to take the first opportunity to escape. Neither one would if it meant the other was left behind. They accepted it as much as it grieved them. The inevitable came in the form a man they had met before. He had been introduced to them months earlier as Werner Hahn. There was a group of nomadic human beings collected from different places and different times who navigated the anomalies under the guidance of the brash and confident Emily Merchant. Emily was from the Victorian Era and quite taken with the ARC's team leader, Matt Anderson. She and her group had caused quite a bit of trouble. Werner Hahn had been quiet and unassuming. To be honest, neither Connor nor Abby paid him much attention. He was average in size, no bigger than Connor. He was much older, approaching his fifties. He wasn't especially fit, but nor was he meek. He reminded Connor of Oliver Leek only a little bulkier and aged. He was German, and _paid attention_ as Emily had said. He remembered details that she often forgot, such as times, places, names, all the little things that wouldn't be filed away by the average person. He had carried with him a black leather shoulder bag and was very protective of it. He'd not always had it on him, having chosen to hide it somewhere. Connor had no real impression of him beyond the superficial, Abby neither.

They had a much clearer impression of him now. When they'd first met he'd been in worn, dirty clothes. At one point he'd abandoned the group and Emily eventually gave up searching for him. He'd been gone for months. Had he been stalking everyone all this time? What was his agenda? Hahn stood between the two of them smirking, dressed in a finely pressed suit. Upon his lapel was something Connor had only seen in movies, a medal in the shape of an eight pointed star burst with a pristine white and gold medallion in the center emblazoned with a bold black swastika. Connor fleetingly thought about quipping something from Indiana Jones, but kept his mouth shut. Hahn reached into his coat pocket and brought out a silver cigarette case. He pulled out a long, dark cigarillo and replaced the case. With a flourish from a zippo he set it a light. He looked between Connor and Abby and a sinister grin appeared on his face.

"Shall we begin?" he spoke, his thick German accent laced with malice.

tbc...

I was recently rewatching my Indiana Jones DVDs and in Steven Speilberg's commentary he said something to the effect that everyone gets a free pass with making Nazis the bad guys. I needed an uber-bad guy for this fic who wouldn't be adverse to a solid bit of physical and psychological torture. My baddie is really just a psycho who happens to also be a Nazi. Being a Nazi however has given him 'purpose' as will be revealed.

I'm not doing anything extreme to Abby and Connor, not by a long shot, but I am going to (for lack of a better phrase) fuck them up a bit. This isn't an explicit 'torture' fic, but there's definitely some! I won't take it too far, so don't worry. You all got through "The Sleeper", right? Stick with me and you'll be rewarded, that's a promise.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two more men appeared. They looked like classic thugs - large, stupid and mean. They were both relatively fit, as well as Caucasian. One wore a heavy gold chain around his neck. They looked hungrily at Abby and Connor immediately felt the hackles rise on the back of his neck.

"I wish for you to remove some of her clothing," Hahn said, looking pointedly at one of his hired men. "I do not care what."

Abby grit her teeth and showed no emotion, but Connor saw the fear in her eyes. How could he not? He locked eyes with her and did not waver and he wouldn't look away from her, not even if he was forced to witness what he feared was about to happen. He'd lose his mind, that much he knew. She wouldn't scream as they mercilessly used her body. It wouldn't matter how much they hurt her, she'd bite her tongue and keep her eyes on him. She could leave her body, take her mind somewhere else and he'd go there with her. Connor didn't know if she'd put up a fight or not. It would be her natural instinct to do so. There was no escape, they both knew that. Their handcuffs were unbreakable and the chains short enough that they couldn't stand upright to properly use their legs. Kicking futilely from her spot on the ground would only make it worse for her.

The two thugs approached Abby and shared a look between each other and immediately went for her jeans. Connor keep their eyes locked together. Abby was vibrating with emotion as they undid her belt buckle, the button on her jeans and then the zip. They pulled her trousers down and Connor felt like he was going to throw up. One of the men, the one with the gold chain chuckled under his breath and went for her panties too, but Hahn cleared his throat.

"That is enough," he said and the two goons backed away. "There was a time, long ago, when it would have satisfied me to watch them have her." He was looking down at Abby with her jeans around her ankles, but he was speaking to Connor. "You would not have been able to look away, and you wouldn't have been able to drown out the sound of her screams or their grunts and moans as they used her. They would have been brutal because I would have told them to be. I would not have been satisfied unless there was blood. They would have ruined her, maybe even killed her. I wouldn't have paid it much attention, it would have been like the hum of a passing train or a little fly circling around my offices at the camp. I would have been watching _you_. Human bodies are so frail, so very easy to render down to nothing." Hahn approached Abby and crouched down beside her and lay a hand on her bare thigh, caressing it. Abby jerked and whimpered involuntarily. Connor pulled on his chain.

"But emotions are strong, are they not? They make the man and they can also destroy him." The bastard continued to touch Abby, moving his hand back and forth on her thigh. Connor was going to snap this bastard's neck the moment he got close enough. "They put the children at another camp, so I could not use them as I would have liked. I was left with the men and their wives. It was very easy to break a man. Give his wife to a group of less discerning soldiers and make him watch. He'd give up by the third man. Watching that spark of life flicker and die inside him brought me such joy, such peace. But in truth the bloom was off the rose too quickly, then I learned that there was another way."

Hahn took a long drag on his thin cigar and exhaled the nauseating thick smoke in Abby's face. She curled he nose at it. Then suddenly he grabbed her thigh and in a bruising grip, making her whimper again. Connor lunged futilely. Hahn looked Abby straight in the eye and took his cigar and pressed the burning red tip to the outside of her exposed thigh a few inches below her buttock. Abby made no sound, but perspiration started to form on her skin's surface as she endured the intense pain of being burned.

"Stop it you sick bastard!" shouted Connor, pulling on the chains with all his might. Abby could only describe the smile that appeared on Werner Hahn's face as blissful. He got off on hearing Connor's screams of anguish over what he was doing to her. After a few more seconds Hahn stopped and got to his feet. Abby hurriedly pulled up her jeans as best she could, but was forced to leave the bleeding burn exposed otherwise the fabric would stick to the wound. Connor stopped shouting but he was still seething with rage.

"Good, good, you can use that," explained Hahn, now looking at Connor. "The men _are_ so easy to manipulate. I soon realized that the strength lay within the women. I should have known better. My father was a cruel man, he had no compunction about inflicting pain on those around him, but he could never best my mother. No matter how many times he knocked her down, she would always get back up on her feet, asking for another strike. I admired her. In the end however she became just like him. She shot him, you know? Straight through the heart with his own gun. This gun in fact." Hahn reached into his suit jacket and brought out an old standard issue Luger pistol, pointing it at Abby's head.

"No!" shouted Connor.

"I do as I please, Mr. Temple. I have bided my time, waiting until Emily brought us to somewhere I could establish myself, somewhere I could flourish! Your world is so rife with potential for a person of my unique qualities. My Fuhrer still reigns, decades after his death! He has followers all over the globe. I could carry out his work. There are so many people here, you hardly notice when one of you goes missing. Or two. I want to know if Miss Maitland will last longer than the others did. I want to watch her go from this strong, confident girl who will not even scream when I burn her, to begging for your life, to be willing to trade herself if you could be spared. I want to watch her suffer. I want to know if I can break her like I did all the others, or if she will be worthy of keeping her own life. Her fate is in your hands and yours is in hers."

Hahn pulled the gun away from Abby's head and nodded at his two goons. He tossed them the key to the handcuffs. They each grabbed Connor by his forearms and held him in iron grips as they removed the handcuffs. His wrists were raw and red from when he'd struggled against them. The two men let him go and backed away towards Abby. Connor got to his feet.

"If you lose the game, I let them have her, you'll never see her again," explained Hahn. "They will take her back to their _gang_ and she will serve them until they have used her to the last. If you win, you get to live another day. If you survive until the last of them, I will let you go. I should give you fair warning, no one ever has survived, but it I doubt that will stop you from trying. They're always so willing and confident in the beginning."

One man touched the top of Abby's head and she jerked away from him, her eyes on fire with rage and disgust. The other thug rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles and advanced on Connor. It was pretty clear to Connor what was about to happen. He had to fight this Neanderthal hulk, maybe to the death. If he didn't, Abby's fate would be horrific. The two thugs Hahn had procured were hardened gang members. There was no appealing to their better nature. They didn't have one. They listened to money and power and evidently Hahn had both to offer them. At a foot taller and a good fifty pounds of muscle heavier than him, Connor's opponent was imposing. Connor definitely had the cards stacked against him. He might have speed on his side. A year of fighting dinosaurs under his belt and the martial arts Abby had taught him would prove invaluable. He'd never killed a person before and he didn't want to, but Connor knew if he didn't do it, he'd be killed and Abby eventually would be too.

He'd started to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. There'd been news about a string of murders across London over the course of the past two months. The bodies of young men had been found, beaten to death and abandoned in alleys. Their girlfriends would show up a few days later in another part of the city with obvious signs of sexual assault and murdered by being beaten or strangled or cut. It was a police matter, so no one at the ARC paid it any more attention than they did the other terrible stories in the news. The real world didn't stop just because of anomalies and creatures. Human beings were still pretty much the worst of predator of them all anyways. Werner Hahn had just been practicing, leading up to Connor and Abby. It was evident to Connor's mind that they were chosen because of their association with Emily and the anomalies. Perhaps Hahn had a larger purpose, but for the time being there was only one - watch Connor get beaten and battered until Abby broke and begged for him to be spared. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't. He suspected that the moment she did, he was dead. A few of the men's bodies had bullet holes through their skulls. It was a Catch-22. He had to survive as many days as possible in hopes that someone from the ARC would find them. Otherwise they were both lost.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first blow felt like a sledgehammer slamming into his face. Connor gasped and staggered but miraculously managed to stay on his feet. He saw stars and colours dance before his eyes and he shook his head to clear it, just in time to notice the cross hook before it caught the other side of his face. He felt the inside of his cheek slice against his teeth and blood fill his mouth. He fell to his hands and knees and the thug didn't give him a moment's reprieve before kicking him hard in the ribs. Gathering what wits hadn't been rattled from his head, Connor rolled away several feet and scrambled upright. The man advanced quickly and Connor dodged the next punch, finally starting to take charge of himself. Connor's fist connected with the man's jaw and the other man's head snapped, but it had little effect other than to bust open Connor's knuckles. The guy's jaw felt like it had been made of iron.

Meanwhile Abby watched on in horror as Connor wove and dodged the malicious blows from his opponent. More often than not, they connected. The man not presently pounding on Connor was watching from the sidelines, enjoying the show. Hahn however was watching Abby. She felt his eyes on her, vile and penetrating. She felt him move closer, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Connor as he tried and failed to best the large, muscle bound gangster.

"He is quick," spoke Hahn closer to Abby. She could see the fabric of his trousers out of the corner of her eye. "I was told that the two of you were lost in the prehistoric past for an entire year."

Abby refused to answer him and kept watching Connor get pummeled, feeling every blow as if it was upon her own body.

"You two must have gotten very close indeed during that time," he continued. Abby felt the long slender barrel of the gun brush against her temple and she reflexively pushed it away, making the chain attached to her cuffs jingle and jangle. "It would be in your interest to oblige me with the pleasure of your conversation whilst we wait."

"It would be redundant," said Abby evenly.

"How so?"

"You'll not get what you want. You want me to weep and beg for his life. What would be the use? If he loses right here right now that Neanderthal will kill him and you'll hand me over to their gang. Your game will be over until you find another pair to torture. If Connor wins, you give us another day. If Connor keeps winning and keeps killing, eventually you'll grow bored. You'll shoot him and me. The end result is the same, so I don't see why my having a conversation with you while my boyfriend gets beaten is in my best interests." Abby looked up Hahn briefly and scowled, then turned her head back to Connor.

"Suit yourself." The backhand across her face caught her off guard completely. Her head hit the pillar with a solid thud and she lost consciousness.

!*!*!

When Abby came to she had no sense of time. She could have been out for hours or days and she wouldn't have known the difference. She winced and brought her cuffed hands up to the side of her head, feeling the large goose egg bump and the stickiness of the congealed blood. She whimpered at the pain. Every part of her body was stiff, sore and cold. When her mind began to clear, the horror of her situation came rushing back to her.

"Connor!" she shouted into the vast emptiness of the warehouse. She looked across from her and saw him laying on his back, chained once more to the pillar. "Connor! Please!"

"Abby?" he groaned, barely able to turn his face towards hers. She burst into tears at the sight of him. His face was a bloody, swollen mess. One of his eyes was swollen shut. His bottom lip and chin were caked in blood. There was a line of blood streaking down from his ear over his jaw and neck. What exposed skin she could see was either purple, swollen or bloody. Or all three. His knuckles were in shreds and some of his fingernails looked like they'd torn to the quick.

"Connor! Oh thank god. He... he knocked me out. I didn't think he'd do that. I was sure he wanted me to watch."

"Shh... s'alright. Probably for the best. I wouldn't have wanted you to see it." He tried to roll over, but ultimately lacked the strength to do it. His ribs were badly bruised, possibly cracked or broken. In addition, the burns from the taser were making themselves known. It hurt to breathe. Furthermore he was cold and he was hungry.

"You killed him?"

"Yeah, I did. Are you okay?"

"I'll live, Conn. Don't worry about me."

"Abby, love, you're the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing when I go to sleep. I can't help but worry about you."

"It's the same for me."

"Do you remember that old raptor? The really cranky one that kept threatening us but never came close enough for us to take him on?" Connor was harking back to their time in the Cretaceous Era.

"Yeah, course I do. He snuck up on us and jumped down from the top of that huge boulder."

"I caught him by his foot and flipped him on to his back."

"You were on him in a flash, twisted his neck in one fell swoop. I'd never seen you show such strength. It was amazing."

"It killed him instantly."

"That's what you did? That's how you won the fight?"

"Yeah. The other guy, the one watching... he was so furious, tried to come right for me. Hahn stopped him, said the gang wouldn't get the next installment of money transferred if he touched me before tomorrow. Hahn was cold as ice about it, the bastard. I couldn't tell if he was pleased I'd won or not. That gold-chained git dragged me back over here and cuffed me again. Hahn told me he'd knocked you out. You'd have been proud of me, I didn't rise to his goad. He left, saying they'd be back tomorrow to do it all over again. I bloody well hope Matt and Becker find us before then. They took our cell phones, Jess' trackers and my wallet. I don't know if you noticed."

"I did. Connor..." Her voiced cracked. Now that they were alone she could let herself show her fear. She sobbed helplessly as he lay in agony on the cold concrete.

"Abby, I'm still here. Alive and kickin'. I won't go down easy. Tomorrow, if he tries to talk to you, engage him. Look him straight in the eye and answer every question he asks. I want you to get him as close as you can. You're quick and you're strong and you know what's at stake. Distract him from the fight. I want you to knock that gun from his hands."

"I can do it."

"I know you can, sweetheart. But there's more, Abby. I need you to get those chains around his neck."

Abby took in a deep breath, understanding what he was asking of her.

"You want me to kill him."

"I don't... but..."

"To save you, I'll do it."

"That's my girl." Connor let out a ragged breath, feeling what little energy he had rapidly leaving him. "Abby, we'll get out of this, one way or another. I have faith enough..."

"For both of us. I know you do Connor. I have faith in _you_. I love you."

"Love... love you... too..." He passed out finally and she cried silently in the dark cold of the warehouse, wishing she could hold him as he slept. She was strong in body and in heart, but this was pushing her to her limits. She was beginning to understand what Werner Hahn was talking about. If he could see her now, sobbing in the dark, he'd declare his perverse victory over her. Her beloved had been absolutely brutalized. He needed to be in a hospital, not be left laying on cold concrete. Abby screamed in frustration, then shut up, not wanting to wake Connor. He needed every second of rest he could get. Her burn mark seemed to have scabbed up sufficiently so she pulled her jeans up and fastened them. The spot hurt something fierce, but she knew it was nothing compared to the pain Connor was in. The fact he'd carried on the brief conversation they'd had was a testament to his resilience. He'd been hard conditioned from their year in the Cretaceous. As Abby nodded off to a fitful sleep she wished whole heartily that they'd never made it back home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Surprisingly, Connor was the first to wake, calling for Abby until she came around. They were confused as to what time it actually was. Connor realized shortly after he'd wakened that his watch was also gone. In the Cretaceous he'd developed a sixth sense for the passing of time. He'd even fashioned a sundial for them. As innocuous and simple a thing as it was, it made Abby happy to know the time of day. She'd kissed him quite thoroughly when he announced it was two o'clock in the afternoon. Now in the desolate warehouse it could've been midnight and he wouldn't have known the difference. Connor wasn't up for much talking, weak from hunger and his injuries, so Abby kept him occupied. She talked first about their memories of their time in the Cretaceous Era. She painted the picture for him, asking him if he remembered the home they'd made and their nights by the fire. She recalled the first time they kissed there and what had followed. She told him how much deeper in love with him she'd become as each day passed. She recalled how graceless and uncoordinated he'd been when she'd first started training him in martial arts. Connor laughed as she spoke. She went a little further and asked him if he remembered how their sparring matches got their blood pumping and how soon their mock fighting often turned to very real passion. He did of course. They'd rush back to the safety of the warren and tear each other's clothes off.

During the months since they'd returned home, that passion had continued and with it so had the inherent and comforting love that had blossomed between them over their year of isolation. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together. They sincerely hoped that meant decades instead of only days if the Nazi psychopath had his way. They were alone for several hours before Werner Hahn and the beast with the heavy gold chain around his neck arrived. Connor was relieved that it was just the two them and they hadn't brought other members of the gang.

"And how are we this afternoon? Did you have good night's rest?" Hahn asked. The amused tone in his voice was like acid to Connor and Abby. "Ready to try again Mr. Temple?"

It took all Connor's resolve to sit up straight and keep himself still. He'd developed a strange tremble in his body and he feared it might be some sort of neurological damage sustained from yesterday's beating.

"I must commend you on your fortitude," continued Hahn. "There was only one other who managed to be so alert the next day. Sadly though, he did not last another. I wonder if you will."

Connor thrust his chin out defiantly. "Count on it," he growled. Hahn let a ghost of a smile tug at his mouth. It seemed to Abby's mind that part of this psycho's perverse pleasure came from the battles of wills between him and his victims. If Connor didn't stand up to him, he'd probably be angry and more than likely take it out on her just to get him to react. Hahn brought out the keys to the cuffs and passed them to his companion, then reached into his pocket for his cigars. After he lit one he brought out his gun and approached Abby.

"Hello my dear," he said to Abby. She looked up at him, but couldn't find the right words to speak to him. Simply saying hello _was_ too difficult for her. "I trust your words will be more fluid today."

She looked into his eyes and inside she quaked, there was nothing but pure evil staring back at her. "Yes," she answered, but there was no confidence in her voice. Meanwhile the thug advanced on Connor who continued with his act of appearing calm and confident. He held up his shackled hands.

"I'm gonna eat your heart when I'm through with you," the gold chained man seethed. He grabbed Connor's wrists and undid the lock before pocketing the key. "That was my brother you killed yesterday."

Connor rubbed his wrists and got to his feet without appearing too weak or unsteady. "Yeah, well your brother was an amoeba, not that you'd know what that is. I doubt brain power is one of your gene pool's dominant traits."

Conditioned from yesterday's fight, Connor anticipated the man's wide haymaker punch. He dove under the fist and slipped behind the man's back, delivering a quick side kick behind his opponent's knee, toppling the man to the ground. If Connor had been fresh and uninjured, he would've been on the man's back in a flash, delivering punches to his kidneys. As it was Connor staggered and sputtered from his sudden burst of energy and the excruciating pain that radiated out from his damaged ribs. He had little time to recover before the big man charged him. Connor stumbled out of the way just in time, but tripped, falling on his back.

"He does very well," said Hahn to Abby, standing over her. "Our soldiers could box, but never did we train in the ways of the East. I have explored the many styles of fighting that are so prevalent in your modern culture - Kung Fu, Judo, Akido, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and so on and so forth. They will most certainly give our side and advantage in close combat."

"Our side?" asked Abby, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from Connor to give Hahn her full attention.

"The armies of my Fuhrer."

"I hate to disappoint you, but Germany isn't run by Nazis anymore, in fact Germany's a very forward thinking nation nowadays. They've spent decades living down the damage your _Fuhrer_ did. It's a pretty great place actually. _Not_ your Germany anymore." Now that she was engaging him, she noticed a slight shift in his demeanour. He was relaxed. He'd crouched down with his gun now pointing at her chest. In the background she could hear the exchange of blows and the sickening sound of bone connecting with flesh, but she kept her eyes on their captor.

"No, you are right, my _vaterland _is not as it should have been, but I will change that."

"You'll never get a foothold nowadays. Sure there's still Nazis in Germany, but not enough for you to take over the country. You'll never make this world like your old one."

"That I know, all too well. No, my dear, I shall wait until another portal opens, one back to my time. I have been reading your English books about the war. So many details, so much information. You have kept none of your secrets. I will take what I have learned back to my time, back to my government and I will change the history of the world."

"That's insane."

"Oh yes? How so? It is a perfectly logical agenda for someone in my position. I've travelled through countless worlds on my own and with Emily. I have seen all manner of life. I have seen this world in ways that so few have. You may think me strange and cruel, but I assure you, I have a very clear and meticulous mind. This..." Hahn waved in Connor's direction. "This is merely my recreation. This amuses me." Abby heard an awful sound that she was sure came from Connor, but she did as he'd asked her and kept her eyes locked with the monster before her. She leaned forwards. She just needed him to come a little closer.

Connor was pinned under the big man as they wrestled on the ground. Connor kept delivering blows to the man's side with his knee and knew he was causing some damage by the way the big man's breathing was laboured and shallow. His attacker kept trying to close his meaty hands around Connor's throat but a few of Abby's jujitsu finger locks came in handy. Connor reveled in the satisfying crunch when he broke two of the brute's fingers. Connor rolled him off and the man went sprawling. That's when Connor saw it, the leather straps on the man's ankle above his trainer. Connor practically dove on to the man's back, trying to distract him with the wild action so he could pull the hidden knife out of its sheath before the man knew he was going for it. He succeeded and clasped the handle of the four inch blade. It was no bigger than a paring knife, but it was deadly sharp. Connor was sure if that if he truly ever got the upper hand, he would've soon found the other man driving the tiny blade into his ribs or stomach. Connor was thrown off his opponent and he landed on his back. The man was up on his feet in short order and pressing his large foot against Connor's throat. Connor's air was cut off immediately and he felt the life fading from him fast. He looked over at Abby and she had Hahn's full attention. It was now or never. Connor plunged the blade into the back of the man's knee, twisted it and pulled it quickly across and out. Abby had told him once that if you severed the artery that ran down the back of the knee, the victim would bleed out in twenty seconds.

The thug's howl of agony as the blade pierced his flesh was more than enough to distract Werner Hahn from his conversation with Abby. He looked away and Abby acted instantly. She knocked the gun from his hand and threw her leg into his middle, flattening him against the pillar. She threw the chain over his head and twisted him over. She pulled him back again with her knee settled against his spine and pulled on the chain. She was strong, but Hahn was putting up a hell of a fight. He gurgled and moaned, reaching back to claw and grab at her. He pulled her hair and she cried out, but didn't relent. When she felt him go limp she pulled the chain off and kicked him away.

Abby broke down in huge heaving sobs that wracked her entire body. She jerked when she felt hands enfold hers. "It's just me, Abby," said Connor. He'd crawled over to her with the key he'd retrieved from the dead gangster's pocket. With shaking hands he unlocked her wrists from the cuffs and the moment she was free Abby threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Connor couldn't care less about how much pain he was in, holding Abby in his arms again was better than any drug. He pulled her close and reveled in the feel of her against him.

"Come on, love, we have to get out of here," spoke Connor. "Help me up? I'm a bit sore..."

"A bit sore!" Abby sobbed. "Connor you're demolished! We need to get to a hospital straight away."

"Not gonna argue." As carefully as possible Abby helped Connor to his feet. She glanced over to where the two men had been combating and her stomach roiled at the sight of the dead body in a massive pool of bright red blood. She didn't want to know what happened, all that mattered was that Connor was alive and in time he'd heal. She didn't look back at Werner Hahn. Once again she and Connor had been in an impossible, dangerous situation and come out of it. He leaned on her heavily and together they shambled the length of the warehouse towards the exit. It was tough going as neither were in particularly good shape. They hadn't eaten or had any water in two days. Their throats were parched and their stomach ached in addition to their injuries. Abby looked up and Connor and felt her tears fall a fresh. He was still caked in blood all over his face and neck, there were contusions everywhere and deep swollen patches of purple. For someone as slight as Connor was compared to the two men he'd been forced to take on, the fact that he'd vanquished and killed them was amazing to her. He'd had to do it, of that she had no doubt. If he hadn't they'd both be dead. He'd saved them. Once again Connor Temple was her hero.

Connor squeezed Abby's shoulders, eternally grateful that she was alive and far better off then him. Her beautiful face was bruised and swollen and it angered him, but he knew in time she'd be herself again. She'd been incredibly brave throughout all of this. He knew Abby was inherently strong and self-assured. She'd taught him to be the same. He absolutely worshipped her. She was powerful, feminine, and everything that he'd loved about comic book heroines. She was his hero.

"Abby, I love you... just needed to be said again," he spoke softly.

"I love you too, Connor. I always will. Don't ever give up on us."

"Are you crazy? Not a chance!" The huddled close as they laboured the length of the warehouse. They prayed they weren't too isolated and could find a phone quickly. It bothered Connor that the ARC hadn't found them yet. First thing after he was healed he was going to invent tracking implants so no one would ever get lost again. Maybe he could make them so they could be tracked through anomalies too. The wheels in his head were already spinning. Connor Temple was unsinkable.

The sound of a single gunshot being fired echoed in their ears and the expanse of the warehouse above and at that same moment pain flared in Connor's upper arm. They turned instantaneously to behold Werner Hahn on his feet and lumbering towards them with his standard issue Luger pointed at them. He was seething with rage, his eyes wild and his hands shaking violently as he advanced. Connor and Abby didn't speak, but immediately broke into a run. Abby could have easily escaped, but she wouldn't leave Connor as he struggled to keep up. Hahn continued to come after them, snarling at them in German. He continued to fire bullets in their direction. Mercifully the distance between them prevented him from getting any more close shots. Still, the bullets whizzed by their heads and hit points ahead of them. Abby grabbed Connor's hand and pulled him along. They were almost to the door when a flash of light blinded them. It was the most random, incredible occurrence in the universe. An anomaly had opened and before they could stop their momentum, Connor and Abby fell through it.

A/N: _Deus ex machina? _So what? It's fan fic :D


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is dedicated to XxbagpussxX. She knows why ;)

Chapter 5

They slipped on the grass beneath their feet and skidded to a halt once they were through the anomaly. Astonished and terrified they found themselves in the place Cutter and Stephen has discovered when chasing after Helen during the fiasco with the dodo birds. They were at the spaghetti junction of anomalies, as Connor had once dubbed it. The valley stretched on for miles all around them, scattered with hundreds of anomalies in every direction.

"Connor!" gasped Abby. She'd been watching him more so than her surroundings. "Oh god, you've been shot!" His right arm was drenched in blood, through his pullover and his jacket and down his arm. The blood was dripping off his fingertips. "Connor!"

"Wha...?" he questioned, drawing his attention away from the incredible spectacle before him.

"Connor, your arm."

He looked over at his wound, scarcely aware of it until Abby pointed it out. He was rattled to the core, as well as exhausted emotionally and physically. He'd seen the pictures Stephen and Cutter had brought back from their very brief time in this place, but it was nothing compared to the reality. The moment he'd realized where they were everything else had faded, even Abby by his side. This place, whatever it was, whenever it was... it was a scientific miracle. The stirring he felt inside him however felt almost spiritual. It was the closest thing to divine he'd ever seen. From here they could find any point in time. He could find his own past... maybe even be able to warn Stephen and Cutter or his past self of what was to come. Abby shook him out of his trance and the pain in his arm was suddenly very acute. He slumped against Abby.

"Where do we go from here?" Abby asked, once again holding him up.

"I dunno. They could lead anywhere. We _can't_ get trapped in the past. I can't go through that again!"

"It's all right, we won't. We'll cross back and forth until we find a city. With all the ones that came up in London surely one of these will lead home, even if it's not our right time." They started to walk down into the valley, trying to decide which anomaly to try first. Another bullet zinged through the air in their direction. Werner Hahn had followed them through. Abby didn't stop to think it over, she pulled Connor by the waist through the closest anomaly. They fell to the gritty earth, surrounded by the blackness of the night. They looked up at the anomaly as it swelled then imploded in to itself, sealing the rift and trapping them in a new and perilous environment.

*!*!*

The cold hearted Nazi snarled in frustration as the anomaly closed and his prey escaped. There'd be no finding them now. He was well acquainted with which anomalies could be found in particular worlds thanks to his travels with Emily and her group. However, this valley was a confusing labyrinth with little rhyme or reason as anomalies opened and closed constantly all around him. The odious man was violently startled by the tap on his shoulder. He whipped himself around to find a tall, thin, but well built man standing before him and holding a gun aloft. It was pointed at his chest. The man didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, sending a .38 caliber bullet straight into Werner Hahn's heart. He felt blood rise up into his mouth and a few seconds later, collapsed to the ground. He was dead.

"Why did you kill him!" the man's companion demanded.

"He was a Nazi," said the tall man, holstering his gun. He turned Hahn over with his large booted foot, revealing the prominant swastika on the dead man's lapel. "I get a universal free pass for killing Nazis. Don't you think?"

"It's not that! He might've had useful information!" The companion huffed out a breath and glowered at the tall man.

"He was also trying to kill Connor and Abby. You saw the state of 'em."

The companion waved him off. "All right, fine. I still say we should have interrogated him first."

The tall man shrugged. Normally he wasn't so fast to pull the trigger on someone he hadn't even met yet, or killing _anyone_ for that matter but desperate times called for desperate measures. He wasn't the same man he used to be. He'd seen and done too much. He still considered himself a good and honourable man, but he was keeping the bigger picture in mind and sacrifices had to be made. He had to stop the Nazi from pursuing his long lost friends and judging by the wretched state he'd seen they were in, the memory of killing this malignant man wasn't going to be keeping him awake at night. "Check him to see if he's got anything we can use."

"I am _not _touching a dead body!"

"I'll do it." He gave a quick search and came up with nothing. He pocketed the discarded Luger, then rose and looked to his companion. "That anomaly behind you, which one is it?" His companion took a reading and looked to the database in their device. "132245. It's a desert in the Triassic. No human life, obviously."

"Perfect." The man heaved up the dead body and shoved it through. "There, that'll make a good snack for a somethingasaurus. Right, the anomaly Connor and Abby went through, when's it opening again?" Once again the companion checked their database.

"That's 33466. It'll be open in approximately two weeks according to my readings."

"Fuck. That's too long, they won't last a day."

"If we loop back through 558613 we can go through before Connor and Abby. We'll cross our own timeline, but it'll get us closer. We'll be on the other side waiting for them."

"From the other side there's no way to tell when they'll come through though. We'd have to be on _this_ side and if we go that route, we'll encounter ourselves for sure and we can't have that. If we do this, that means we'll have already gone through."

"We have to wait for them on the other side, that's the only way. We have to get there before them. It's the best I can come up with. We can't wait two weeks here for it to open again, they'll be dead for certain."

"We'll need transportation. I remember 33466, it's a bloody hell pit."

"We could go back through 9960, then come back here and then go through 558613, we'll have the supplies we need."

"How reliable is 33466's coordinates? Does it shift position on the other side?" The companion consulted their database.

"I'm sorry. It does. By about forty six miles."

"That's a lot of ground to cover, forty six miles in any direction. This anomaly's dodgy. It opens and closes frequently. There's no way to know how many times it'll have opened and closed when we loop back around. We'll go through and end up in a completely different position than they will. Maybe not even on the right day. How the hell will we find them over all that land?"

"You'll just have to steal a helicopter then, won't you?" The man smiled broadly and put his arm around his companion's shoulders.

"I like the way you think."

*!*!*

They lay motionless on the ground for almost an hour before either of them had the will to speak. They clutched each other's clothes and just concentrated on breathing. They knew their situation was grave. Connor was having a difficult time not literally going insane. They were trapped on the other side of an anomaly once more. There was no telling where or when they were. It was the same nightmare as the Cretaceous all over again.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry," Abby kept repeating under her breath. There were stars enough above them that he could see her face. There were tears streaming from her eyes. His heart broke for her. There was one thing he couldn't abide and that was Abby crying. Connor tentatively reached out and touched the one part of her face where there wasn't a bruise.

"What are you sorry for, sweetheart?" Connor asked softly.

"I thought he was dead," she answered, her voice quiet and shaky. There was no noise around them save for the quiet whistle of the wind. He couldn't hear any signs of wildlife. "I was sure he was dead. I did this. I caused this. I've got us stranded again. I'm sorry, Connor. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me! I just had to get you away from him before he killed you. I didn't think. I just reacted."

"Shh... Abby I could never hate you." He whimpered in pain as he moved closer to her. He rested his forehead against hers. "Do you hear me?"

She nodded and sniffled. "I'm sorry. I can't quite get myself together. I need to look at your arm."

Connor sighed and agreed. With her help he sat up. He almost threw up from the pain as she removed his jacket, pullover and shirt. Abby gasped as she looked at his half naked body. She could see under the limitation of the starlight that there were more dark patches on his torso, ribs and abdomen than there was his normal skin tone. The bullet had torn through his upper arm, but fortunately it was only a flesh wound. She took off her own layers and removed her singlet. She tore it into strips and wrapped his gunshot wound tightly. It would help staunch the bleeding. Over the course of undressing him and herself, taking care of his wound and putting their clothes back on, the sky began to lighten. Dawn was coming. Half an hour later the sun was up. The pair sat next to each other in disbelief at the their surroundings. For three hundred and sixty degrees around them they could see the horizon. There was nothing but flat, white terrain as far as the eye could see. There wasn't a single tree, not even a weed. It was a completely dead land and already at first light it was beginning to get hot.

"Oh god," gasped Connor,"We're gonna die out here."

_A/N: Out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh? Hope you all have a lovely weekend. Reviews would be lovely if you're so inclined and are wholeheartedly appreciated._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They sat in silent despair for another hour. In that time the sun continued to rise into a cloudless blue sky. The temperature climbed rapidly and they started to sweat. Connor was dismayed. There was _nothing_ here. Nothing but... "Salt," he said, the first word he'd spoken in an hour.

"Salt?" Abby replied. He picked up a handful the coarse white grains from beneath them, then let them fall between his fingers.

"It's salt. All of it, as far as the eye can see."

"Where are we? Can you tell?"

"No, I can't. I have no clue _when_ we are either."

"What do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do. I can't see any mountains even. We haven't had food or water in two days. We're both injured. It's barely morning and we're already sweating. By noon this'll place will be scorching. We might make it another day... but I doubt it. We'll get sunstroke, we'll dehydrate. It's over Abby. I'm sorry. There's no getting out of this one. I... I..." His words failed him and the tears of anger, regret and anguish came. Abby's heart went out to him. He was in obvious physical agony and his will was finally broken. He'd been the optimistic one while they'd been stranded in the Cretaceous. He'd been the one to keep her from giving in and accepting their fate. She looked around them and knew he was right. There wasn't a way to survive this, but she also wasn't going to let him give up.

"Come on Connor, on your feet." She stood up and towered over him. "I'm not ready to pack it in just yet. I know it's bad, but I'm not going to just sit and wait for my body to shut down and neither are you."

"What's the point, Abby?"

"The point is that we're not quitters. We survived a whole year fighting for our lives every single day without any help or hope. We had each other then and we still have each other now. It's okay if you've run out of hope, Connor, because this time I've got enough for both of us. Please. For me?" He thought for a moment then extended his hands to her. She reached down and grasped them firmly and pulled him to his feet. She leaned in and pressed a firm kiss to his neck - the only place where there wasn't a bruise or blood stain. "We'll need to protect ourselves from the sun, we should take off our jackets and drape them over our heads." He nodded and Abby helped him. She put his arm over her shoulder and held him up by the belt around his waist and then they began a painfully slow walk across the expanse of the salt flats. Going on the hope that the sun still rose in the east, they headed west in order to keep the light ahead of them to the last. It was difficult to tell how much time was passing when every step was an epic journey in and of itself.

Twice they had to stop so Connor could throw up. There was little more than bile. Abby wiped his mouth with her sleeve and told him she loved him as he wept from the pain radiating through his ribs from the contractions of his muscles as he vomited. The sun upon the whiteness of the salt was blinding, so they watched each other's feet as they kept going. One hour later they were both sweating heavily, to the point where their eyes stung so badly they were blind. Their breathing was laboured and Connor complained he couldn't feel his hands anymore. Abby tried to speak to him, but she couldn't force the words out of her mouth. Their bodies were covered in heat rashes. Their pulses grew weak and thready and when Abby suddenly went limp and lost consciousness, Connor wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged her lifeless body along with him.

His legs felt like they were made of lead and his muscles spasmed constantly, making each step a new level of torture. He heard a noise and looked up from under the coat that still shielded his head. There were small moving dark shapes ahead. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and tried to focus. It was an omen. A tiny part of him realized that if there were buzzards that meant there was somewhere hospitable for them to nest nearby. The larger part of him realized that he and Abby were going to die very soon. When that happened the buzzards would go about picking the flesh from their bones. Connor began to feel incredibly dizzy in addition to every other symptom he felt. He took one more step and his right legs gave out on him. He and Abby both crumpled too the ground. Connor lay on his back with the hot sun beating down upon him. It wouldn't be long now. He heard the birds cawing amongst themselves. One got close and pecked at the loose skin on Connor's knuckle, tearing some of it away from him and swallowing it down. Reflexively Connor reared back and hit the scavenger in its breast and it hopped away. It went back to circling the two lowly humans. He shaped Abby's pliant body into a tight fetal position, then took off his pullover and along with his jacket covered her body with them. He'd be damned if he let those feathered bastards peck away at her. The last thing he did before he fell into oblivion was to cover Abby with his body to protect her. He couldn't speak the words, but his last conscious thought was a final _I love you_ _Abby_.

*!*!*

Abby looked at her reflection in the mirror and frowned. Her bruises had faded to a sickly yellow and her split lip was still a bit on the swollen side. Still, she looked infinitely better than she had when she'd first regained consciousness. She walked back across the room to Connor's bed. He was also doing well under the circumstances. They'd stopped with the saline and antibiotic drips. In his three week convalescence, Connor had been in and out of consciousness. Most of the time he was confused or delirious, recognizing only Abby through the haze. But for the majority he was asleep or in different levels of consciousness. He was still bruised to some degree or another all over his body. On the positive side, the various swellings had gone down and his wounds had been seen too. He'd have a scar from his gunshot wound, just like she would from the burn on her thigh. His ribs were bound tightly. The doctor had examined Connor thoroughly and determined that no ribs were actually broken away, merely fractured. That was a marginal relief to Abby. The blisters he'd developed from being exposed to the sun for so long had faded and fresh pink skin covered his face, neck, arms and hands.

She leaned over him and kissed his mouth, whispering _I love you_ against his lips. He desperately needed a shave. He reminded her of the Cretaceous Era, all covered in scruff. It made her smile. She sat back down in the chair beside his bed and picked up her book. There weren't many at her disposal, but in their time here she'd read several of them to Connor as he slept. She was half way through H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine", knowing Connor would love it. She'd guess that he'd probably already read it, but she was enjoying it and enjoying reading it to him. She took his hand in hers as she had done for every day since she'd been recovered enough to leave her own bed. His knuckles were scabbed over and healing also. She sighed, kissed his wrist and settled in to share the story with him.

After three chapters Abby was well into the flow of the tale; things were starting to get exciting. When Abby paused to turn the page, she heard Connor yawn loudly and felt him move his fingers. She dropped the book and was up in a shot, hovering over him. "Connor? Connor can you hear me?" she asked urgently.

"Abby? Mmm... hey, love," he spoke softly. He was looking at her and to Abby's relief there was clarity in his eyes. She prayed he'd finally come around. He smiled at her and yawned again. "You look tired, sweetheart."

Abby felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. "Yeah, that's an understatement."

He tried to sit up and failed, feeling all sorts of pain roll through him. "Where are we?" he croaked before taking a few steadying breaths. Abby helped him sit up and arranged the pillows behind him. He kept an iron grip on her hand and Abby was surprised by how strong it was. He took in the sights before him. The room was small and quaint with lace curtains through which sunlight was streaming in. The mattress beneath him was soft but rather lumpy. There was an old fashioned patchwork quilt over his body and he was pretty sure he was naked under it. The walls had been covered in a wallpaper with tiny yellow roses all over it in an elaborate pattern. There was a dresser with a mirror, a book shelf, a bedside table and a small army issue cot in the corner. Everything looked old fashioned and drab.

"We're in Wendover, Utah in America. It's a town on the edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Literally a one horse town. There's barely a hundred people living here. It's about as rural as you can get. There's a water tower, a train station, a general store and a few dozen houses, that's about it." Connor let that sink in. He looked at Abby and frowned at the fading bruises on her lovely face. She was dressed differently that usual, wearing a pretty cotton dress that looked like something out of an old movie. It was baby blue with short sleeves, nad a collar. It flared out from her waist and stopped short of her knees. Her soft blond hair was pulled back in a pony tail.

"Why aren't we in hospital?"

She eased down on the bed beside him and he let go of her hand to rest it on her thigh, holding her against him. Abby's hand came to his shoulder, rubbing up and down his chest. "We are in a manner of speaking. We're in the spare room at the town doctor's house, which is also where his practice is."

"Wow..." Connor felt woozy and had to close his eyes. He felt Abby's other hand caress his cheek and he melted into her touch. Miracles of miracles they'd survived their ordeal. He'd been certain they were going to die out there on the salt flats. How had they been rescued? He knew all would be revealed in time. Most of all he was elated to see Abby looking so well and so fresh. "Have you contacted the ARC?"

"No, I'm sorry Connor. That's not possible."

"No wireless out this far? I guess that's understandable."

"No, no wireless."

"What about phones? Surely you can call."

"That's not possible either. See, Connor, the thing of it is... there is no ARC."

He opened his eyes and stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"Connor. It's 1967."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Um... what?" Connor gaped at her. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him an apologetic smile.

"It's 1967. At least there's The Beatles, and Pink Floyd! But we'll have to wait another year for Led Zeppelin. And a decade for punk." She knew her little attempt at humour had failed when he didn't laugh along with her. He looked gobsmacked. "I'm sorry. It's been so lonely without you conscious for more than an hour at a time. I've been out of my mind with worry over you and now I'm trying too hard."

"It's... it's okay Abby. It's just a shock. It's really 1967?"

"Yeah. It is."

He gave his head a shake. "It's better than the Cretaceous Era." He smiled at her and she relaxed. "Think of all the great concerts we can go to! And all the World Cups I can bet on! We'll be set for life. Oh! I get in on the ground floor with Apple or Microsoft! Better yet, I could start my own company, usurp 'em all!"

"Oh Connor, I love you. Yeah, we'll be okay." She felt a tear slip down her cheek and quickly wiped it away.

"Abby, sweetheart, don't cry."

"I don't mean to, but Connor you've been in a terrible state for so long. I was so scared you were going to die and I'd be alone." He reached for her then and pulled her against his bare chest. She clutched his shoulders and cried silently while he held her.

"How long have we been here?" he asked after a time.

"Almost three weeks," she replied, nuzzling against his chest. She didn't want to break contact yet. Her finger toyed with the ever present ring that dangled from his neck on a leather chord. "You would wake up for a little while, but you were always confused. The doctor gave you as much morphine as was safe to keep your pain down, but it left you in such a state. I think you just about used up his entire supply! We took care of you every day, from your burns, to your stitches, everything."

"You n' the doctor?"

"And his wife Mary. She's lovely, has nurses' training too. They have a daughter called Sally. She's fourteen, but she keeps to herself mostly. She's visited with me a few times."

"What have you told them about us?" His hand pulled out the elastic that held her hair, letting the soft lengths fall loose so he could stroke his fingers through them.

"Well, we're the talk of the town, but they've given us privacy. For the record, our story is that we're married. They're pretty religious around here and I didn't want us to have to spend a moment apart because they thought it improper. We're Connor and Abby Temple an we were taking a trip across America. We were kidnapped and had our belongings and our car stolen, except your dad's ring which you were smart enough to sneak into your sock. They held us for two days, beat you up badly and abandoned us on the salt flats. I had to think on my feet. I was out of it for several days as it was. I couldn't think straight until I saw you and when I did..." She sniffled again and let out a shaky breath. "Anyways, it was a while before I could explain anything to them, and that's what I came up with."

"That's good, love, sounds completely plausible. How did we get here? Who rescued us?

"It's strange. I don't even know myself. I was hoping you could figure it out. I have an idea, but I need to hear you say it." Abby rose from the bed and went over to the dresser from which she retrieved a sheet of paper, which she passed to Connor.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide.

"You recognize the writing? I couldn't make heads or tails of it, no one could."

"Abby, tell me how we got here. Don't leave anything out."

Abby sat back down. "The doctor, Michael Crawford's his name, said that a man drove in to town with the two of us in the back of his pick-up truck. He demanded a doctor and he brought us here. We were severely dehydrated, so they started us on saline straight away. The man stayed for a few hours until the doctor said we'd make it, and then he left. He left the note for us and a wad of American dollars... several hundred actually, more than enough to pay for our care."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Nothing more about the man? What he looked like? He didn't say his name?"

"No, he didn't say his name." Abby paused and looked Connor in the eye. "Dr. Crawford said the man had an English accent, like us. He was tall, thin but well fit and... and he had ginger hair."

"Danny!" Connor had the same first thought that she had.

"I think so."

"Abby, I'm positive it's him... this note. Only someone who knows me could have written this. The writing is Aurebesh!" He was positively vibrating with excitement.

"What's that? Some ancient culture? It looks very old."

"Not at all! In fact it hasn't even been invented yet! It's from Star Wars!"

"Star Wars. Seriously? _Seriously? _And you can read it?"

"Yeah, I can, no problem. It's instructions on how to get home!"

Abby gasped and looked between Connor and the paper. She had tears in her eyes again and she kissed him hard, making them both whimper from their still healing lips. Neither one cared. "How long? When can we go home?"

"What's today's day?"

"It's Monday, August 14."

Connor deflated somewhat and knitted his brows together.

"What's the matter?" Abby asked.

"It's all right, love. We've just got a bit of a wait and a bit of a journey. It's nothing bad. We need to be in San Francisco on October 30th."

"That's ten weeks from now!"

He nodded. "Can't help that, I'm afraid. It's all right though. I need time to heal, we both do. We can wait it out. It's not like we have a choice."

"No we don't." Abby took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time was relative. Ten weeks would pass in no time in 1960s America. There were plenty of sights to see. They had money and several hundred dollars would go far. "It's infinitely better than the Cretaceous Era. But seriously Connor, after this, please no more being stranded in the past!"

"And no more getting kidnapped by random psychopaths either." He cupped the side of her face and caressed her.

"Agreed." She laid her hand over his. "Why don't you rest. I'll get the doctor and something for you to eat. You've lost weight you know? The few times you were awake we got you to eat, but it wasn't enough. You'll be weak for a little while." With her words, Connor suddenly felt it and closed his eyes. He felt her lips press gently against his forehead and knew nothing else until some time later when Abby shook him awake.

"Connor?" she bade, touching his face. He blinked his eyes open and a smile came to his face at the sight of her.

"Abby, love," he said softly. "Have I been sleeping?"

"For about an hour. The doctor came and looked at you and said it was just normal sleep, so I shouldn't disturb you. He's here... " Abby backed away, revealing a thin man who was only slightly taller than Connor himself. He was in his late forties with short black hair that was peppered with white. He wore thick-rimmed glasses and had deep lines around his eyes. Connor wondered if they were from years of squinting at the sun. He was dressed in a pair of well worn trouser and a plaid button down shirt in dull, lifeless tones. Despite his somewhat lack luster exterior, there was kindness in his eyes that put Connor at ease.

"Welcome back, Mr. Temple," spoke the doctor. "You've given your poor wife quite a fright, but I'm pleased to say you're on the mend. Mrs. Temple's here's told you about your injuries?"

"No... no we didn't get a chance," said Connor in response.

"Well, you were both in pretty rough shape when you were brought to me, awfully dehydrated. We got as much saline into you as you could take. We gave you Doxycycline, that's an antibiotic, to treat any infection that might've wanted to settle in. Your body took quite a beating. I sewed up any contusions you had and wrapped up your ribs. They've only been fractured far as I can tell, most of them on your right side. You were lucky none of them broke clean off. The fact that you've barely moved for the better part of three weeks was a blessing. They're healing up nicely. We bandaged you where you needed it. I've seen gun shot wounds out in these parts, there again you got lucky, son. Bullet went right through, clean as could be. Sewed that up too. You'll have a scar for certain. You took some nasty blows to the head and I'll say, since you're out of the woods, that I thought that would do yah in if the dehydration didn't. You were out in the sun for the better part of a day so you go pretty burned up. You both slept through the worst of that thank heavens. Don't pick at the skin where it's peelin', otherwise you'll end up with more scars. What you both need now is rest and food. Mrs. Temple's here's doing just fine, so you can be easy on that score. You'll feel out of sorts and tired for a good while yet. If you feel drowsy, don't fight it. We'll get you up n' moving in a couple more days. When that happens the sheriff's gonna want speak with you."

"I can't thank you enough doctor," replied Connor. "I can't even begin..."

"Not a worry, son. We haven't so much as had a case of the sniffles all summer. You have kept me occupied. I suspect the town's going to be talking about you two for years to come. Now, Mary's going to bring you two some lunch and after that I suggest you don't do anything more than talking."

"Yes doctor."

The doctor gave them a nod and a smile and left them. A few minutes later his wife brought them stew and biscuits with cold lemonade to drink. Connor liked her instantly. She reminded him of his mum. She was prim and proper and kind. She made them feel very welcomed into her home. The pair ate alone together and spent the afternoon dozing on the bed, holding each other as the sun passed from the east to set in the west. They ate the same stew for dinner and slept deeply all night long.

After two days, and with help from the doctor and Abby, Connor walked about the house. They'd found him a pair of trousers to wear as well as a t-shirt. His legs were weak and his balance was shaky, but two days after that he could move about under his own power. The doctor's house was one of the bigger ones in town, the largest room having been converted for his medical practice. There was an examination table as well as a surgical one. There wasn't much call for the doctor most days. There were accidents from time to time, but nothing as serious as what they'd seen with Connor. The doctor and Connor had a detailed discussion about his and Abby's arrival at the town but Connor could glean no more information than what Abby had already given him. Connor fibbed away the explanation for the writing on the note, saying that he recognized it as being from an old Mayan manuscript but he would have to get to a large city library to properly translate it. He tried to act as if their rescuer was as mysterious to them as it was to the rest of the town.

The sheriff came to visit and took their deposition. They stuck to their story about being kidnapped and having their possessions stolen. They could give little detail about their captors due to being blindfolded, so they said. Abby made Connor out to be a true hero and that he'd taken the beatings in order to spare her any physical harm. That was the truth and the sheriff could see how proud she was of her 'husband' for protecting her. As to their passports and identification, they would have to contact a Consulate-General to have new documents issued. After several painstaking phone calls to various government offices Connor was both excited and relieved to learn that the closest one was San Francisco. The sheriff issued them official documentation of their situation, should any law officials between Wendover and San Francisco question them. Another two weeks passed and Connor was making a fast recovery. They'd made sure that the doctor and his family were given more than they were owed for their hospitality and their services. They thanked each person in town that had showed them kindness and friendship at church on the last Sunday before they were to catch the train that would take them to Reno, Nevada.

The train out west didn't come more than once a month through Wendover. If there were passengers to be picked up, they had to send a telegram to Salt Lake City in advance otherwise it wouldn't stop if there were no supplies to deliver. Connor and Abby had spent six weeks in Wendover and the following morning they would be taking the train and leaving it behind. They were a little sad to leave, having made many friends in the desolate little town. Wendover hadn't much, but there was kindness and warmth in the community that made the lost couple feel at home. The town was as safe as could be and now that Connor felt all but back in fighting form he had no qualms about walking out at night alone with Abby. She pulled her cardigan (a handmade gift from Mary) around her shoulders as the breeze rolled through the field they were walking across. It was three miles to the edge of the salt flats. They'd left the sparse lights of the town behind them and Connor turned on the torch he'd brought with them to light their way. As soon as they felt the crunch of the salt beneath their feet he turned out the light and looked up at the sky.

"Have you ever seen anything more amazing?" he asked, tucking his arm around Abby's waist.

"I seem to recall the nights in the Cretaceous being just as beautiful," she replied. They were in perfect darkness with a glittering sea of stars above them. The constellations were clear and bright and Connor pointed them out to her. "Connor? Part of me doesn't want to go home. It's the same part that thought it would be okay if we stayed in the Cretaceous."

"I understand. This reminds us of what we've given up and you can't help but have regrets. God knows I do. But then I think of all the people we've helped."

"That's not all you think about. I know the work you were doing with Burton was exciting you. It scares me sometimes though. I feel like I'm going to lose you to it, that you'll become as obsessed as Cutter was... or Helen."

"Abby, I won't. I swear it." She turned into him and circled her arms around his waist. Connor felt a twinge of worry inside him at her words. "You know how much I love you, don't you?"

"I know. I love you too." He tipped her chin up and brought his mouth down to hers. They kissed slow and deep, feeling the wind softly parading from across the flats swirl around them. The held each other and watched the majesty of the sky for an hour before turning back towards the town.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The trip across the state of Nevada would take at least ten hours, plus stops along the way. It was close to midnight when they pulled into the small station at Lovelock. There was a long stretch ahead of them before they reached Reno where they'd stop and rest for a day. The trip across Nevada had been spent in a less than luxurious passenger car more or less alone. Some people got on or off at each small town they passed through but by the time they reached Lovelock, they were alone again. The scenery had been amazing, long stretches of desert and rock in hues of red. It was beautiful as well as daunting. The conductor had come to tell them they they'd be stopped for a least a half hour while they delivered their cargo and picked up the mail. It was a good opportunity for everyone to stretch their legs. Connor and Abby hoped to find something to eat, but the small cafe attached to the train station was naturally closed at the late hour. Mary had packed them a lunch, but that was long gone. There was however a vending machine and Connor used the handful of change he had in his pocket to buy them candy bars and a Coke each. Like all the other train stations they'd stopped at this one was also small, run down and dirty. There were few people about, one man running the station, another on the platform and a janitor lazily slopping a mop around the floor.

Connor and Abby leaned against the vending machine finishing their snack when something caught their ears. It was faint, but they looked at each other, confirming they'd both heard it. The sound came again, from outside the building. It sounded like a muffled scream, followed by a thump against a wall. They followed the sound along the length of the building and around the corner. The rage that built up in Connor was palpable to Abby at his side. He reacted instantly. A young girl, just a teenager, was being manhandled and dragged away but a much larger man. He was tall and broad with fair skin and light hair. He was dressed in overalls stained with grease and oil. The young girl's suitcase was abandoned and her legs were flailing as she was bodily hoisted off the ground. The man muffled her screams for help with the meaty paw of his hand over her mouth. Connor didn't even hesitate.

"Oi! Let her go!" he shouted as he advanced. Connor's hands closed into fists as he stalked towards them. Abby circled around out of the abductor's view, ready to attack from another angle and give Connor an added element of surprise. The man spun around to face Connor. The girl kicked and then managed to bite his hand. He released her and she ran back towards the station. The man debated whether or not he should run, but after sizing up Connor decided it would be an easy fight to win. He swung his fist at Connor, but the smaller man ducked and wove, shifting to the side to deliver a solid blow to the gut. The man heaved, not expecting such a solid punch from Connor. The Neanderthal swung again and Connor stepped in close, avoiding the punch and delivering an upper cut to the man's chin, making the brute bite his tongue. He spat a mouthful of blood to the ground and went for Connor again.

Abby saw her chance and struck with a side kick to his knee, hearing the satisfying pop as the joint dislocated. The tendons in the man's knee had torn and when he tried to regain his footing the leg gave out and the collapsed. Connor was on him in a flash, raining punch after punch down upon the prone man's body.

"Connor! Connor, stop!" Abby shouted, but her pleas went unheard. Something had taken hold of Connor and it wasn't letting go. The man lost consciousness. Connor's knuckles had only just healed completely and he had damaged them again, tearing the skin and making them bleed. "Please Connor, you're going to kill him!"

Abby grabbed his arm before he could land another blow and he turned on her. Abby was startled by the fire in his eyes and backed away quickly. Connor saw the flash of fear on her face and instantly all his rage and anger disappeared.

"Abby... I..." his voice cracked and he caved, beginning to cry. Quickly Abby wrapped her arms around him, pulling his face down to her neck. He was still crying when help came. There was a policeman among the group as well as the conductor of the train, the platform director, the janitor and the stationmaster. The young girl was there too, gathering up the contents that had spilled out of her suitcase.

"You two all right?" asked the policeman. Connor pulled away from Abby and quickly wiped at his tears.

"He... he..." Connor stammered.

"Easy," said the policeman. "Catch your breath. The young lady explained. This here's Deke Lawrence. He's just about the lowest piece of scum in this town. I'm not surprised he tried to make off with another girl. We don't usually catch him red handed. Kim, you get on home to your mama and don't let me catch you trying to run away again." The young girl nodded and looked briefly at Connor and Abby before running, hopefully back home. The cop knelt down and handcuffed the unconscious man. "Looks like it's back to prison for him. Best place for him if you ask me. You two are just passing through?"

"Yes," Abby replied quickly.

"Go clean yourselves up and get back on the train." He gave them a pointed look that spoke volumes. He was letting them off the hook, but it was clear he also wanted them gone. Abby didn't say anything and neither did Connor as she pulled him away without a second glance back. The conductor told them they'd have five minute before he was pulling away from the station. Abby ushered Connor into the bathroom and washed his hands for him. She took a wad of paper towels with them in case he started to bleed again. The wounds weren't deep or terrible like last time, but he had torn the skin on his knuckles. As the train pulled away from Lovelock, Connor put his forehead to his knees and began to weep. Abby laid her cheek on his back and held him.

"Connor? Please tell me what's the matter," she bade. He sat up and looked at her, anguish in his eyes. Thankfully they were completely alone in the passenger car.

"I've killed two people. With my bare hands," he explained. "I would've killed that other man back there if you hadn't have stopped me. I'm so bloody sick of men hurting women like that! What would've happened to her if we hadn't have been at the right place at the right time! We're not even supposed to be _here_. Abby I'm a killer."

He was feeling remorse. He'd taken two lives and only now was Abby realizing how detrimental that was to a man as _good_ as Connor. It didn't matter that the men he'd killed were scum just like the one they'd left behind in Lovelock. Connor had extinguished life, done it with his own hands and it was effecting him. Back in Wendover he'd been too physically damaged to let the gravity of what had happened in the warehouse come to the surface, but now he looked absolutely shattered.

"And what would have happened to me if you hadn't killed those men? I would've been gang raped and eventually killed after god knows how many days of torture, or shot in the head. I'm tough, but not tough enough to have survived either of those options. Connor you saved both of our lives. You're _no_ killer. Not by a long shot. You're a _good_ man, and a brave one. You're my hero and I love you." He sniffed and Abby gently wiped away his tears before drawing his face close to hers to kiss him. He let her in and she curled her tongue around his, caressing and soothing. When they parted she relaxed into the seat and wrapped her arms around him, bringing his head down to her bosom. "Get some sleep. We'll be in Reno in a couple of hours and we'll need to find a motel for the night."

"Okay," he whispered in reply. "Abby? I love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

They took a room in the first motel they could find. It was three blocks from the train station. It wasn't exactly high class, but it was brand new and clean. The Motel 6 was also only $6 a night, which made Connor smile despite himself. Connor and Abby were beyond exhausted and after they stripped themselves and climbed into bed they were asleep within minutes. They awoke the next day feeling like they'd entered a whole new world. Reno wasn't surrounded by the desert they'd seen on the way across the state, but rather in the Sierra Nevada mountain range with plenty of vegetation. They showered and dressed before venturing out in search of breakfast. They decided to spend another night in Reno so they could relax. They found an International House of Pancakes where Connor ate a Denver Omelet as well as a massive stack of pancakes drenched in butter and syrup. Abby was content with fewer pancakes and a couple of sausages. She did however treat herself to a large hot chocolate with whipped cream. After their meal they took a stroll to the shops and indulged themselves with new clothes and shoes. Abby looked gorgeous in her red mini skirt and white sandals. Her new undergarments were cute and cotton and her white blouse had cropped sleeves, exposing her arms. She tied a pink sash in her hair and wore a massive pair of sunglasses. She bought a few more outfits for their trip. Connor also saw fit to dress for the times and wore a fitted dress shirt in light blue coupled with dark gray slacks that rested below his waist. Abby called him a proper 'Mod' and kissed him. She loved his new ankle boots, especially because they were white to match his belt. They looked like a very cute, respectable young couple.

They walked on with their shopping bags and stopped next at a chemists called Walgreens where they bought everything else they'd need. Connor seemed like a completely different man than the one she'd comforted last night in the train. It was as if he'd come through the darkness into the light. Abby felt the same way. The sun was bright in the sky and the temperature was hot. It almost felt like they were on vacation and there was still more to come. San Francisco appealed to them both. There was the ocean to see, along with palm trees and numerous tourist attractions. They'd have more than a month to forget all their cares in the world and just enjoy each other and the city they'd be calling home for a short time. The most important thing was that they were together and they'd weathered another brutal storm that had ruthlessly swept through their lives. They'd been knocked down more times than they could count, but they always got back up again. Being in this past was no where near as daunting as the Cretaceous had been. They had all the comforts of the modern world, though Abby was sure Connor was going to be missing his technological toys and gadgets again. Abby wanted to use this opportunity for her and Connor to solidify their bond more so than they already had. Coming back to the ARC after the year away had been difficult, to say the least. They'd been pulled in all sorts of different directions, leaving little time for them to connect. They had their moments, but it was never on their terms. They'd have sex when they could find a moment's peace. They sometimes talked before they fell asleep in bed. But proper time to just do mundane domestic things that helped build the foundation for a life together seemed nearly impossible. They hadn't even decorated their flat beyond the basics and they'd been in it for months!

Ever since they'd returned from the Cretaceous, Abby had been trying to find a new version of normal. She's accepted that Connor was meant to be a permanent fixture in her life. When she'd finally welcomed him in as her lover and partner, a new fear had settled in with it. She understood him better after that, because she realized he'd been feeling the same for years ahead of her. Loving someone meant you could lose them and the thought _was_ terrifying. It was harder for her to appreciate the happiness they'd captured when there were raptors and spinosaurus threatening to take Connor away from her. It wasn't that much different back at home - work, people, anything could take him away. Being in love was against her nature, yet it was also her most fervent instinct to be with Connor. She wondered if he every got this philosophical. She slipped her arm through his and smiled at him as they walked. She was determined to enjoy the time they had here. They had no responsibilities but to each other and to be in San Francisco on October 30th.

!*!*!

When Abby smiled at him, Connor felt a lovely warmth suffuse his entire being. One kind look from her and suddenly everything was all right in his world. It didn't matter that they were in 1967, or that his body was still sore and healing from his repeated beatings. For now they were safe, well fed, reasonably healthy and together. The key to his happiness was pretty simple - if Abby was safe, nothing else really mattered. He was determined to make their time away from home into a proper vacation. He was putting on a brave face to ensure it. His knuckles ached again and the healing skin felt tight. The night before he was going to kill that man. That had been the prevailing thought running through his mind as he'd been pummeling the criminal's face and body. What scared Connor was the ease with which the impulse came to him. Killing the two men back in the warehouse had been a matter of survival. Had he not done it, Abby... he couldn't bare to let his mind go there. Still, he couldn't help remember the sickening feeling in his guts when the two gang members had pulled Abby's jeans down. He'd been certain they were going to rape her right in front of him. He gave his head a shake and smiled back at her. It was tight and forced but he made the effort.

"Connor?" asked Abby, sensing the shift in his mood. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" he replied, a little too enthusiastically. "Why wouldn't I be? Everything's great. Know what I want?"

"No, what's that?"

"A giant cheeseburger with French fries and a milkshake!"

"Connor, we just had breakfast not two hours ago. You can't possibly be hungry."

"Sure I can. I want a good old fashioned quintessentially American cheeseburger. I wish we had a car so we could go to one of those drive-in spots where there's girls on roller-skates who bring the food to you."

Abby laughed at threw her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek soundly. "Okay, let's find a greasy spoon diner and you can stuff yourself. I think I want a Cherry Coke vanilla ice cream float."

They had their lunch and spent the remainder of the day walking the main drag of the city with its casinos, theaters and movie houses. As night fell the brilliant neon marquees lit up in a wide array of colours and designs. They ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, complete with a cheesy violinist who went around to all the tables. Returning to the motel, they made their way down the length of the building to their room. The hot night of late summer and the bottle of wine they'd shared at dinner made them sleepy. Connor closed and bolted the door behind them as Abby placed their bags in the corner. She switched on the lamp and turned down the bed. Connor looked ridiculously sexy in his classic 60s clothes, especially the way they clung to his well defined body. Before he turned in to the room, Abby deftly got her top off. She had to giggle at her bra. Undergarments in the 1960s were peculiar. She was happy her bust wasn't large enough to fill out the ones that would make her breasts look like torpedoes. The one she wore in virgin white was pretty cute, but it was a bit much. Connor was watching her now, his eyebrow arched and his eyes staring at her breasts.

"It's a bit much isn't it? It's like a straight jacket! It's a good while yet before Victoria's Secret I'm afraid," said Abby, undoing the hooks and stripping the garment off. She tossed it across the room and Connor caught it. He hung the bra on the doorknob and advanced on her. Abby evaded him and jumped on to the bed. He pounced on her and kissed her lips even as she laughed. He pawed playfully at her breasts, laughing with her. He kissed her neck and shoulders as he slowly moved lower down her body. He tenderly kissed her breasts as he massaged them with his hands. They hadn't been intimate since before they'd been captured by Werner Hahn. During their time in Wendover, Connor had been too injured to even think about sex. His body wouldn't have cooperated no matter how badly he wanted to make love with Abby. She'd been somewhat guarded about touching him too, aside from holding him for comfort. Furthermore they were in the house with the doctor and his family and the walls were thin. Right now was the perfect time for them to reconnect on a physical level. Abby mewed happily when Connor's mouth closed around her nipple and he suckled. His hands went to her skirt and he took hold of the hem, pulling it up. Her nipple came free of his mouth with a pop and he gave her a lustful look before raising himself up and sinking lower still. He bunched her skirt up around her waist and went to pull down her panties.

He saw the scar from Hahn's cigar on her thigh and he froze. He quickly pulled his hands from her underwear and backed away. He screwed his eyes together tightly and failed to will away the violent images of the monsters back in the warehouse tearing off Abby's clothes as she lay helpless and chained to the pillar. Pictures of them hurting her and violating her flashed through his head. He couldn't breathe and he began to gasp for breath. He was shaking and all he could hear was Abby's helpless screams in his ears.

Abby quickly gathered Connor up in her arms. One moment he'd been passionate, about to make love to her and the next he was pulling away in a panic. "What's wrong?" Abby asked, stroking his hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he gasped. She held him as he stumbled his way through an explanation and Abby's heart broke for him. She was coping with the aftermath of their ordeal far better than he was. It wasn't as if the memories of what happened to Connor didn't disturb her too. She'd had countless nightmares about it, but kept them to herself. As soon as she woke and realized Connor was still with her, the fear passed. She got him to undress and get under the covers before she joined him. She laid her head on his shoulder and her hand on his heart.

"Abby?" he whispered in the dark.

"Hmm?" was her reply. She yawned and snuggled at his side.

"I wanted to apologize for ruining our evening," he stated with a heavy sigh.

"Don't be daft. You haven't. You're not alone in this Connor. You think I can easily forget what they did to _you_? I'm just thankful we're here rather than back home."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. If we were at home we wouldn't have a moment's peace. We'd be back in the thick of it the second we were given the clear. And we'd have wanted it that way. We would've moved on, got back to anomalies and creature incursions like nothing had happened. Everything we'd have buried would've come back to bite our arses at some point and it scares me to think of what it would've done to us. Coming back from the Cretaceous was no different. As messed up as it is to say it, I think this'll be good for us in the long run."

"That is messed up... but I think you're right." He lay his hand over hers gave it a squeeze.

"We'll take the weeks we have here and use them to heal, to talk and I guarantee you, we'll be making love again in no time."

Connor smiled and relaxed. Abby was always the more practical minded one. He trusted her completely and he believed her words. "G'night, love."

Abby pressed a kiss to his chest and snuggled him. "Goodnight, Connor."

**The next chapter will go up to an M rating and will no longer appear in the standard updates!**

_If anyone's concerned about accuracy, Walgreens was founded in 1901and by 1934, they were operating in 30 states with over 601 stores. IHOP was founded in 1958 California, and quickly spread out across to neighbouring states. _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Abby had been kidnapped again. This time Connor didn't mind quite so much, as her captors were a group of hippies who took one look a her prim and tailored clothes and called her square, saying that she needed to be made over to be set free! Connor watched with mirth as she was surrounded by flower children and was soon lost in their circle. They'd missed the "Summer of Love" by a couple of weeks, but there were still plenty of kids hanging out in the Haight-Ashbury area of the city to keep the spirit alive. The police had been clearing out the destructive element and all that was left were innocent lovers who just wanted to smoke dope and play music with their friends. They'd arrived in San Francisco the day before. Once again it was late and they took a hotel room near the train station. They'd awakened early in the morning after a good night's sleep and checked out. The very first thing they did was locate the Fillmore Auditorium and purchased tickets to the October 30th Pink Floyd concert where evidently, an anomaly would open. Next was breakfast, after which they'd picked up a newspaper and started looking for a flat they could rent for the month. Most of the vacancies appeared to be in the infamous Haight-Ashbury area as everyone who'd come for the summer was leaving. They looked at three buildings before settling on one. Their landlady was middle aged and very Bohemian who upon their first meeting told them that their auras were in perfect harmony and melding into the same colour. She was called Freya, a name she'd chosen for herself. Connor gave the woman the strangest look and Abby had to stifle her laughter. The flat was small, just one open area with a double bed in the corner with a dresser next to it and a couch on the other side of the room. The space also contained a small kitchen and dining space. The only other room was the bathroom. The best part was the large bay windows that looked out on to the street below. It was clean and cozy and only $180 for the month. It was perfect. They paid in advance and were given their key. They left the few things they'd bought in Reno in the flat and went out exploring.

There was a large park near their flat and they'd walked out into the late summer sun, warm and happy. There were people everywhere, most of them hippies, just milling about, playing music, and lounging on the grass. There was a group of a dozen girls or so dancing in a circle. They took one look at Abby and pounced. Abby was surprised, but was soon caught up in the joyful smiles of the young girls with their flowing dresses and hair down to their waists. Connor leaned against a tree and waited while Abby was swallowed up. When he got her back she'd undergone a complete transformation. He fell in love with her all over again.

"Abby? Where are your clothes?" Connor asked. The shorts and blouse she had on were gone and she now had on a lovely floor length gauzy white dress.

"I traded! Isn't the dress pretty?" Abby beamed, twirling around for him. She looked like an angel. She'd also lost her bra and he could clearly see her nipples through the gauzy white dress she was wearing. One of the girls had placed a wreath of white Shasta daisies atop her head with her tendrils of blonde hair flowing out underneath.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look more lovely." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When they parted he smiled at the blush that had appeared on her cheeks.

"I think we need to find you some new clothes too. _You're a square, man_."

"I'm not dressing like a hippie!"

"Oh come on. I promise not to put you in a hot pink paisley furry neru collared waist coat. We'll find you some jeans and a Grateful Dead t-shirt."

"Abby..."

"Please, Connor? You'll look out of place tonight if you don't."

"Tonight? What's tonight?"

"Quicksilver Messenger Service."

"What on earth is a Quicksilver Messenger Service?"

"They're a band, and they're playing tonight at a festival in Golden Gate Park. Everyone's going. _We're_ going."

Connor stared at her, beholding her joy and he couldn't deny her. He agreed and she kissed him so fiercely he nearly passed out. Abby outfitted him with a comfy pair of blue jeans and found him a green tied dyed t-shirt to wear. He was pleased to find a pair of Chuck Taylors for his feet. He thought he looked ridiculous and conspicuous but as they walked across the field at the park towards where the crowd was gathered for the concert, he realized he and Abby in their new clothes fit right in. Abby saw two of the new friends she'd made earlier. Connor had to shake his head and simply smile when they introduced themselves as Starlight and Sunshine. Everyone lounged on the grassy hills as the sun set. They were treated to music by such bands as Cold Blood, Lamb, and Hot Tuna before Quicksilver Messenger Service took the stage. Connor loved watching Abby as she listening to the music. She was so happy. She got up and left him for a bit to dance with the other girls and just let herself be free. Connor had to admit he was enjoying himself. The music was good, the crowd was happy and mostly very very stoned. He felt privileged to be witnessing it all. When the sky erupted in a sudden summer shower no one was bothered, quite the opposite in fact.

The music faded from the forefront of Connor's mind as he watched Abby dancing in the rain. The white fabric of her dress became completely translucent in the rain and clung to her bare body beneath, leaving nothing to the imagination. He didn't know when but at some point before they'd come here she'd discarded her knickers too. Connor felt the very familiar stirring in his groin at the site of her and the other girls in their drenched garments. Abby caught his eye and saw the lust that had overcome him. She was panting from the dancing and realized that she was virtually naked in her now see through dress. Around them other couples were already making love in the mud without a care in the world. Abby walked back up the hill towards where he lay in the grass. She came down to him and straddled his hips. Her wet dress fanned out over them both, giving them a slight measure of privacy. She fumbled briefly with the button on his jeans then lowered the zip. She reached in and pulled out his already hard cock and stroked him. Connor groaned and thrust against her hand. She kept a firm grip on him as she positioned him at her entrance. Lowering herself down slowly on his substantial girth, she took him inside her inch by glorious inch. Abby bit into her bottom lip as she seated herself down fully. She always had to take a moment to adjust when making love with Connor, something that never failed to please her. Connor ran his hands up under her dress and over her bare thighs. They settled on the round globes of her ass and he dug fingers into her flesh. He rocked with her, undulating his hips under her and made her gasp and whimper with each movement.

Connor watched Abby above him and marveled at the pleasure that was painted upon her face. The rain poured down on them and music vibrated in the air. His skin felt cool, but where they were joined felt impossibly hot. She swiveled her hips atop him, and tensed her inner muscles around his cock, making him groan loudly. He drew his knees up and pitched her forwards so his mouth could latch on to one of the cloth covered hard points of her nipples. He suckled at her through her wet dress as he ground against her. Abby clutched at the muddy earth and pushed herself down on Connor as hard as she could, grinding her clit against him. She was stretched, hot and felt an intense pleasure coiling deep in her belly.

They both knew they were being watched and that people were getting off on it. It only served to encourage them. Others followed suit and found themselves a partner. Abby panted over top of him, the rain dripping off her chin and hair down on to his face. One of his hands let go of her arse to pull down the front of her dress so he could lave his tongue over her bare breasts. He kneaded one in his hand his he captured the other nipple between his lips. He flattened the hardened peak against the roof of his mouth with his tongue and suck _hard_, making her cry out in both pleasure and pain. As their coupling reached a frenzied pace, Abby arched back and into the falling rain, letting it wash over her. Connor locked his hands to her waist as she climaxed, her pussy clenching down and strangling his cock. She writhed and pulsed above and around him, trying to hold on to the moment as long as possible. Connor arched up into her one last time and cried out with his own release, spilling himself deep inside her.

Abby collapsed atop him, still involuntarily rocking her hips, helping her to several more tiny orgasms. She kissed Connor languidly, her passion in no way diminished for having come. He wrapped his arms around her back and rolled her beneath them. He was hard again already. His hand glided up her thigh and this time lingered on the small rough bump of her scar. He drew her thigh up around his hip and started to thrust. Abby gasped and moved with him, clutching at his shoulders. She pulled his shirt off and pulled him back down to her, wrapping her arms around his back. The rain continued to come down, the band played on and all around them people were grooving and dancing. For once in their lives everything seemed to be in perfect harmony.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next month passed far too quickly. They spent all their spare money on rock concerts. Abby wanted to see all the classic bands that in their time were long gone. They saw The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Yardbirds, and Country Joe and the Fish and many more. The imminent date of October 30th loomed and they kept their tickets to see Pink Floyd at the Fillmore on them at all times. They made friends in the neighbourhood, but kept a low profile. With the Vietnam War heating up, Army recruiters would come into the neighbourhood and draft men right off the street. Connor was almost hauled away once because he didn't have proper documentation that he was a British citizen. Fortunately some of their friends had happened upon the incident and pretended to shower the soldiers with hugs and flowers, allowing Connor to escape and get out of sight. The majority of the time was spent in their flat or at Buena Vista Park just relaxing and being together. There were sights to see, wonderful restaurants to eat at and for a while they considered not going home at all, though they knew in their heart of hearts they couldn't stay in 1967. The anomalies had to be stopped and no one but Connor knew as much about them, or cared enough to solve the enigma.

Their flat was paid up for another two weeks, but Abby and Connor would be leaving San Francisco and 1967 behind that night. They left a note for their landlady and thanked her for her hospitality. They left notes for their friends, explaining that it was time for them to move on. Abby had promised herself she'd look them up when they got home to see how their lives turned out. Abby wanted to keep some of her clothes and all of her jewelry, some of which she'd give to Jess. She packed as much as she could into a large purse. They dressed for the concert in jeans and their original boots, and wore shirts indicative of the era. They spent their last moments in the flat sitting near the window in each others arms, saying a quiet goodbye to what had been another impossible, terrifying, but ultimately strengthening journey. They'd been to hell and back so many times, but they'd always done it together and had persevered because of it.

The crowd outside the Fillmore was thick, eager to see the hot new thing come over from England. The other band on the bill was Sopwith Camel, who were local and had been part of the scene since the beginning of the year. The show wouldn't start for an hour and the man at the door was only just starting to let people in. Connor and Abby kept a firm grip on each other's hands, not willing to risk getting separated. They eventually got inside, filing into the large open auditorium. There were chandeliers on the ceiling and booths against the walls. The pair found a dark secluded corner and waited. According to the note written in the Star Wars language that had been left with them in Wendover, the anomaly would open shortly after Pink Floyd's set began. The note didn't specify where in the building the anomaly would open. Connor had constructed a rudimentary version of his original handheld anomaly detection device out of a transistor radio. Considering the tools at his disposal he'd made it accurate enough to alert them when the anomaly opened. Furthermore he'd found both he and Abby highly magnetized metal pendants to wear around their necks. The moment the anomaly opened, the metal would rise and seek out the source. There was nothing more to do but wait.

They passed the time with Abby telling Connor what they were about to see. In all the time he'd known her, she'd always been a massive music fan. She loved punk best of all, but she always had a penchant for the classic bands of yore such as Led Zeppelin, Queen _and_ Pink Floyd. It was 1967, therefore they'd be seeing the band in its earliest incarnation. She expected there to be lights and strange film reels masking the band in colours and textures to go along with their very psychedelic sound. As the lights dimmed and the crowd began to cheer, Abby and Connor started to circle around the perimeter of the room, waiting for the music to start and the anomaly to open. They didn't have any specifics beyond being here on this night during this performance. The music began with a deep, heavy and rapid bass line and immediately the people were moving. The guitar was _loud_ and an instant onslaught of whines and hums. The people jumped and jolted and fell into the rhythm when the drums kicked in. The music was aggressive and when the patterns of red, green and purple started flying all over the room everything took on an instantly sinister air. People writhed and threw their bodies against each other. Connor winced and his first reaction was actually one of fear. He liked hard music as much as the next bloke, but this was a little different. This got under his skin.

He looked over at Abby and saw that she was entranced just like the rest of the concert goers. Her pupils were wide and she was swaying along with everyone else. His hand holding hers anchored her to him. He was half afraid that if he let go she'd lose herself in that crazy crush of the crowd and he'd never find her again. He watched the band and the people and listened to the music. He scanned for any sign of the anomaly. He sneezed when half of the patrons lit up joints and a thick haze of a pot smoked filled the room. His lungs felt tight and his tongue felt odd in his mouth. He spotted some people putting little white pills under their tongues, then practically float away. Every now and again he'd look at Abby and see how content she looked. The thought crossed his mind that she was born in the wrong time. She'd have flourished in this era. The first song lasted over ten minutes and when it was over, Connor felt exhausted. He pulled Abby closer and wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her as near as possible.

The band launched into the second song which began much like the first, all sound and fury. The band began to sing for the first time and Connor began to see why everyone liked them so much. They were pretty damn good, if not more than a little crazy. Abby pressed herself back against him and Connor had to take hold of her hips to stop her. If they had to run for an anomaly it wouldn't do to have a great big hard on in his trousers. Abby smiled wickedly at him over her shoulder. The light show was making Connor dizzy, but the people stoned on pot and acid seemed to revel in it. Well into the second song the room exploded in a brightness that Connor and Abby knew all too well. The anomaly opened above the crowd near the front of the stage.

Everyone, including the band, was so off their heads they thought it was part of the show. The pendants around their necks were immediately drawn to the anomaly and they quickly pulled them off and let them go flying through. Abby turned to him, smiled hopeful, then grabbed his hand and pulled him up the side of the room. They didn't know how long the anomaly would stay open so they acted fast. There was no way they'd be able to fight their way to the front crush of people near the stage. Even if they could, the anomaly was _above_ them and without anything to give them a boost, there'd be no reaching it. There was only one solution so far as Abby could see. Connor wasn't exactly sure what she was doing as she tugged him down to the floor, but he confidently followed her lead. They crawled along the floor and around the legs of two large men who were guarding the entrance to the side of the stage. Once they were in the darkness they got to their feet.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Connor asked. They were positioned to the right of the keyboardist and they'd have to dash between him and the drummer to get to the front of the stage.

"Can't think of a better way," said Abby. "Can you?" He grinned and grabbed her hand and together they ran out on to the stage. They took one second to appreciate the fact that they were on the stage with Pink Floyd before increasing their momentum and sailing past the guitarist and leaping from the edge of the stage. They reached through the air and disappeared through the anomaly.

They fell from the sky and had a split second to realize they were above a large pond before they hit the water. They went full under and came up sputtering and soaked through to the bone. Abby lost her grip on her bag. The rudimentary anomaly detection device had gone flying out of Connor's hand the moment they hit the water. Like Connor she was eager to get to shore, but she instead dove below the water and managed to snag her bag before it got too deep. They swam for it and reached land in short order. They stood under the early morning sun sopping wet, but mercifully back home. They were in Hyde Park at The Round Pond. A jogger stopped to stare at them and then the anomaly before giving his head a shake and resuming his run. They seemed to be in the right time at least. Connor sighed heavily and wrapped his arm around Abby, planting a kiss on her temple. A few minutes later the familiar sight of ARC soldiers storming towards the anomaly appeared from both sides. Becker strode towards them, looking absolutely furious.

"Where the bloody hell have you two been!" he shouted. "You've been missing for over a week!"

"A week," said Abby, relieved. "That's so much better than an entire year."

"Did you find the warehouse?" asked Connor. Behind them the soldiers locked down the anomaly.

"Warehouse? What warehouse? You vanished without a trace!" exclaimed Becker.

"We don't know where it was, but there would've been a dead man inside with the back of his knee gouged open," explained Connor.

"No. Nothing like that. What on earth happened to you two?"

"It's a very long story, but we're home, _again._ That's what's important."

Becker stood here dumbfounded. He looked at his friends and wondered if peoples' children gave their parents as much grief as these two gave him. If his hair started to gray prematurely it was solely because of them. He looked them over from top to bottom.

"Temple?" Becker inquired. "Why are you wearing bellbottoms?"

_One more chapter to go!_

_For the record, Pink Floyd and Sopwith Camel DID play a show in San Francisco at the Fillmore on October 30th, 1967. Pink Floyd were among the first bands to really use lights and effects at their shows in an artistic way. They were definitely pioneers. _


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Connor was sitting up in bed reading over the files on his tablet computer that Jess had emailed to him. Coming back to their world after almost three months away had been easier an adjustment than their return from the Cretaceous. Having spent the bulk of their time living free and having fun in 1967 San Francisco instead of fighting for survival from predators was the obvious difference. Still, it hadn't been completely smooth sailing. Abby missed the little world they'd left behind. She missed their friends, the park and complete lack of responsibility. They'd jumped back into the fray much like they always had. This time however they kept a more focused eye on their relationship. They were determined not to allow any of the cracks to form that had stressed their bond the last time. Abby wanted them to find a flat with a large roof garden, so they did. It would be months yet before it truly flourished, but their time away from the ARC was spent there. Quiet time alone was more important than ever.

Connor looked over at her lying beside him on her stomach with her bare back exposed and her soft blond hair splayed out over the pillow. She slept soundly and likely wouldn't wake for a few hours yet. Her internal clock always seemed to know when it was Sunday and allowed her to sleep late. He fought the urge to touch her and went back to his reading. There wasn't much information available on Werner Hahn, ranking _Oberfhrer _or Senior Leader in the German Schutzstaffel. He was born right in Berlin and grew up with a father who was heavily involved in the military and served in the first world war. Hahn's entire life had been shaped around the military. He had been an exemplary officer and had risen high in the ranks over the years. However his record had been marred by several complaints that had been carefully glossed over or swept under the rug. Most of them involved women and his apparent dislike of them. The few bits of information that Abby's conversation with him had gleaned gave Connor a clue. He didn't particularly care that Hahn had a horrible childhood, a domineering mother, or a violent sociopath for a father, but it did give him insight. As Connor read on he was grateful he suggested to Jess that she outsource the research she'd volunteered to do for him. He couldn't imagine the sweet young lady reading such atrocities. It was evident to Connor that Hahn had an appetite for rape. At some point Hahn had been involved in some sort of incident that had left him 'mutilated'. Connor smirked and hoped the woman that had done the job got an extra nice place in Heaven for her deed. After that particular incident Hahn became difficult for his superiors to control. His penchant for ruthlessness, rage and cruelty to the officers serving under him was a hindrance to the Reich's master plan.

He'd been more or less banished to take over a remote concentration camp near the borders of the Soviet Union. The SS did nothing to corral Hahn's behavior. He was out of sight and out of mind. Connor glossed over some of the things that had happened at the camp, preferring not to know the disturbing and sordid details. He eventually found what he'd been looking for. Towards the end of the war a small group of Allied troops had stormed the camp and overpowered the Nazis, Hahn escaped on foot and two men tracked him through the blizzard that had descended upon the empty landscape of western Russia. The two Allied soldiers described seeing what Connor knew to be an anomaly open and swallow Hahn up. The two men thought to follow, but the weather was extreme and instead they turned back towards the camp to help their fellow soldiers see to the poor people that had been imprisoned there. The soldiers' account of the ball of light they'd seen had been dismissed as a mutual hallucination due to the storm, fatigue and the stress of seeing the horrid condition of the prisoners.

Connor surmised that Hahn would've spent several years going through the anomalies, meeting Emily and her group somewhere along the way. When he made it to 21st Century London he'd taken the opportunity given him to assert himself and allow his vile tendencies to flow unfettered once more. Where Hahn had gotten the money to finance his hired thugs was still a mystery, but Connor would put feelers out and see if anything came of it. Connor yawned and closed the file. He set his computer on the bedside table and leaned back against his pillows. He looked to Abby once more and became hypnotized with the even pattern of her breathing. They'd been through so much and he couldn't even begin to fathom scope of his gratitude that they were still alive and still together. He said a silent prayer that Danny Quinn was still alive and well out there in the universe. Connor and Abby both had a lot to thank him for. There was no doubt in their minds that he was the one who saved them from the salt flats. Why Danny hadn't appeared back in the here and now was anyone's guess. The couple had agreed to keep the secret about Danny between themselves. They were sorely tempted to tell both Becker and Lester, but it was clear to them that Danny Quinn had his own agenda and would return when and if he wanted. It couldn't be a coincidence that Danny found them on the salt flats. He must've had some sort of foreknowledge. What Danny had discovered in his journeys through the anomalies would remain a mystery until he returned to reveal them.

Connor slid back down to lay beside Abby. He knew he should let her sleep, but after reading the file on Werner Hahn he felt restless and ill at ease. He needed to touch her and hear the sound of her voice. Gently as could be he laid his hand on her back, caressing back and forth. He traced his fingers down her spine, dipping below the comforter and gently drawing it away, revealing her nude body. He stroked his thumb over the scar on her thigh. After this afternoon it wouldn't be as prominent as it was now. He was very much looking forward to their appointment. Abby stirred slightly and curled up, obviously cooling off since Connor took away the covers. He smiled and moved closer to her, pressing his lips to the back of her shoulder. His hand came to rest on her hip and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Hmm? Connor?" she mumbled as she came to. She rolled on to her back and met his eyes with a smile. "I was sleeping."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, even has hand settled on her stomach and travelled upwards to her breast. He thumbed her nipple and began to kiss her neck. Abby shifted towards him. The rest of their morning was spent in bed making love.

*!*!*

"Don't worry, it's really not bad at all," said Connor, grasping Abby's hand in his. He wasn't about to tell her that his arm absolutely ached and his skin felt tight and sore. Furthermore, the plastic surgical bandaged over the Vaseline felt like there was slimy eel writhing around on his arm. The surgical tape was way too tight and made his skin itch. The fact that it had to stay on for at least eight hours made him uncomfortable. He was sitting in a chair next to where she lay on the table facing him. She'd wisely opted for her cute little gym shorts rather than just laying there in her knickers. Connor wouldn't have approved of that. The man who'd just finished up with Connor had reclaimed his gun from the Autoclave and had inserted a fresh needle. The tattooist slapped a glob of Vaseline on Abby's thigh and the aggressive buzz of the gun started up. Abby closed her eyes and gripped Connor's hand tighter, waiting for the pain to come. She was pretty good with pain, but something about this made her nervous.

Abby whimpered and breathed heavily, trying to force herself to relax. It felt like her flesh was being cut by a very tiny blade. The tattooist gripped her thigh to kept her from moving and after a couple of minutes Abby got used to the pain and relaxed.

"Okay?" asked Connor, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Yeah," replied Abby, her face flushed. "I'll live."

"Mine only took an hour. Yours'll be the same. It'll fly by. I'll buy you ice cream when you're done."

"Connor, I'm not ten years old."

"Maybe I want some too? It's not all about you. I'm the one who went first. I deserve ice cream!" His playful tone made her smile. He bopped the end of her nose with his finger. Abby watched his face, concentrating on him rather than the man currently torturing her skin. An hour later the tattooist announced that the work was done. He cleaned away the blood and lymphatic fluid with distilled water before Abby hopped off the table to go look in the full length mirror. She almost started crying. The tattoo was immaculately rendered and looked so beautiful. It was _just_ like Connor's.

The spiral design started out tight over the circle of the scar from Werner Hahn's cigar burn and gently opened as the pattern travelled across her skin to encounter more spirals. Some were bold, some were subtle, but they were all beautiful and harmonized perfectly with each other. A month ago Abby had suggested she'd like to cover up her scar and Connor thought it was a brilliant idea. He didn't mind the ones he had from the gunshot wound Hahn had given him, after all Indiana Jones had scars, but he knew every time Abby saw them she was bothered. Covering them up with meaningful tattoos was the perfect solution. They'd chose greens and blues for colours. They wanted it to feel as if it belonged in nature. Most of all they wanted to match. They'd spent hours coming to the decision on what they'd get. They'd surfed the internet for designs and after they utterly rejected the idea of getting a 'key and heart' like so many websites suggested for couples in love, they happened upon one about Celtic symbols. Spirals were described as signifying rebirth and infinity. It fit. It also made for a very cool design. They artist they'd chosen was ridiculously creative and talented.

Abby smiled broadly as she admired her new artwork. The scar was hidden and she was completely in love with her new tattoo, even more so because it matched the one that covered the scars on Connor's arm. The tattooist bandaged her up and after she pulled on the skirt she'd brought with her, the pair were off. Half an hour later they had their ice cream and were walking hand in hand in the park near their flat. They thought about taking a trip to San Francisco if ever the opportunity presented itself. They knew it wasn't likely, so they were content with having the occasional day off such as this one.

"My leg is killing me," groused Abby, taking a big lick of her scoop of strawberry. Connor chuckled.

"So's my arm. Apparently it'll hurt more tomorrow."

Abby smiled. "Fantastic. Lookin' forward to it."

"And then it'll peel like a sunburn, then itch like mad for at least a week."

"Brilliant."

Connor bit a chunk of his rocky mountain almond chocolate fudge ripple ice cream and crunched it loudly. "Any regrets?"

Abby looked over at him and wondered if he was just asking her about the tattoo. He had a sweet, earnest look on his face that told her the question held more weight. She quickly kissed his mouth, licking up the smear of chocolate fudge he'd missed. She gave him her brightest smile. "Nope. Not a one."

The End


End file.
